When it comes to workplace health and safety, most Kiwi businesses and managers are well versed in the important legal requirements employers must meet under The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) to ensure the physical safety of employees. But many are lagging when it comes to understanding the mental health requirements employers are expected to meet.
While the HSWA defines health to mean both physical and mental health, it doesn’t specify what a ‘mentally healthy’ workplace should look like. Although WorkSafe NZ, New Zealand’s primary workplace health and safety regulator, doesn’t articulate this either, it does state a belief that “when an organisation has committed to and is supporting Mentally Healthy Work, its people thrive”. From this, we can infer that in supporting employee mental health, an organisation must ensure the workplace does not contribute to mental health issues and must also actively support workers to thrive and flourish at work.
The good news for business owners is that doing this not only keeps you on the right side of the law, it can do wonders for your business growth and profitability.
The bottom line benefits of thriving employees
1. Improved employee mental health: The most obvious benefit of a psychologically safe workplace is strong employee mental wellbeing. When employees feel safe and cared for, they are less likely to experience stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues. This can translate into improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, increased presenteeism, and a better workplace culture.
2. More engaged employees: Employees who feel valued and supported are more likely to be engaged in their work and feel a sense of ownership in their role. This can lead to improved job satisfaction, improved morale, reduced turnover, and higher levels of positive word-of-mouth promotion for your organisation or brand.
3. Reduced workplace conflict: Mentally safe workplaces promote smart conflict resolution; improving workplace relationships and reducing the likelihood of costly and time-consuming HR disputes.
4. A better customer experience: Happy employees are great advocates for your business and are more likely to provide excellent customer service. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction, improved sales, and positive-word-of-mouth referrals; the best type of advertising a business can get.
5. Boosted innovation and creativity: When employees feel safe to take risks and express new ideas, your business is far more likely to deliver innovative solutions and creative ideas. Calculated risk-taking can generate better products and services, increase competitiveness, and improve bottom-line results.
So, HOW can a business create a mentally safe workplace?
Encourage an awareness of personal strengths: According to research published in the US National Library of Medicine, workers who are supported to develop a high level of awareness of their personal strengths were ten times more likely to be flourishing than those with low strength awareness. That’s because workers who can play to their strengths are more engaged and perform better at work.
Promote open communication: Encourage employees to share their thoughts and concerns without fear of retribution and create a culture of transparency and honesty by fostering an environment where employees are encouraged to communicate their needs, ideas, and feedback.
Offer mental health resources: Provide access to mental health professionals, or Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) that offer counselling, support, and resources for employees struggling with mental health challenges.
Promote work-life balance: Encourage employees to take breaks, leave work at a reasonable time, and take time off when needed. Promote flexible work arrangements, such as remote working or flexible schedules to help employees balance their work and personal lives.
Create a culture of caring: Encourage teamwork and collaboration, celebrate successes, and offer support when it is needed. Foster a culture that promotes compassion and empathy.
Upskill your workforce: Providing training on mental health can help employees better understand mental health challenges and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Offer workshops, training sessions, and/or online resources to support employees to develop skills that foster their own mental health, and that of their colleagues.
Make wellbeing a priority: Encourage your people to take care of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally by offering holistic wellness services that include access to exercise facilities, healthy food options at work, education on how to sleep well, and emotional ‘check-in’ opportunities.
What does a good employee wellbeing programme look like?
No two organisations are alike, and so it makes sense that there is no ‘off-the-shelf’ solution for organisations to adopt. But research has shown that there are some elements commonly present in wellbeing programmes that support workers to thrive.
They include:
– The use of employee input
– Authentic leadership engagement
– Viewing wellbeing as teamwork – rather than taskwork
– Understanding why wellbeing is important
– Integrating wellbeing into your organisation’s culture
– Good timing; checking the readiness of your organisation before introducing a wellbeing programme
– Supporting those with a genuine interest in wellbeing
– Making programmes clear and applicable, using external expertise where necessary
– Identifying ways to measure the programme’s impact
– Using customised interventions. Each worker will have a different wellbeing experience and journey
– Making sure people understand the programmes introduced
– Integrating your wellbeing programme throughout your entire organisation
Employers need support too!
Creating a culture of wellbeing and supporting a diverse workforce to thrive can be a daunting task. If you need support reflecting on your current mental wellbeing practices, or would like assistance developing a wellbeing plan for your business, we can help.
Our initial chat is always free, and if you decide you’d like some independent, impartial and up-to-date support, you can make use of our qualified HR expertise for as little as an hour, or as long as you’d like. It’s up to you.